Afghanistan: Helmand Province

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether substantive and acceptable arrangements have been made with Pakistan to secure the overland supply routes into the British area of operations in the Helmand province of Afghanistan.

Lord Drayson: Yes. The United Kingdom and Pakistan have agreed a memorandum of understanding to permit communications across Pakistani territory.

Armed Forces: HMS Collingwood Museum

Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they are taking to support the museum of early naval communications technology at the HMS Collingwood Museum.

Lord Drayson: The Ministry of Defence supports the museum by the provision of accommodation for it at the HMS Collingwood site and the payment of rates and associated utility bills. Maintenance of the equipment holdings is conducted by museum volunteers.

Armed Forces: Voter Registration

Lord Garden: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What arrangements have been put in place to facilitate voting by service personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq in the local elections on 4 May.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Service personnel serving overseas are able to vote by either post or proxy. In addition the Ministry of Defence, in association with the independent Electoral Commission, has been running a publicity campaign to inform service personnel of the voting arrangements. This includes a leaflet, outlining the respective voting options, and a postal and proxy vote application form being distributed to service personnel.

Belarus: Visa Ban on Officials

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether, following the imposition of the European Union Council common position on the visa ban on Belarus officials imposed from 19 March, they have received representations from the Belarus Government suggesting actions which could lead to an early review of the ban.

Lord Triesman: The Government have received no representations from the Belarus Government suggesting actions which could lead to an early review of the ban. Indeed, some of those who are on the list have threatened to sue EU Ministers who agreed the ban and have claimed that the bans are counterproductive and undemocratic. The Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that the decision to implement the bans demonstrated the EU's failure,
	"to treat with respect the clearly expressed will of an independent nation",
	and has threatened reciprocal measures.
	The UK and the EU have consistently made it clear to the Belarusian authorities that we remain willing to discuss lifting the restrictive measures if there were sufficient improvements in the democratic and human rights situation as set out in the EU's benchmarks. The Council common position imposing the travel ban sets out clearly the actions that the Belarusian Government need to take in order for the ban to be reviewed.

Blood: Self-sufficiency

Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Why the Department of Health's internal report Self-Sufficiency in Blood Products does not include a review of blood product policy prior to 1979.

Lord Warner: I refer my noble friend to the reply I gave on 19 April 2006 (Official Report, col. 1054–56).

Children: Health

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the response of the Food Standards Agency to the article by Cara B Ebbeling, published in the journal of the American Academy of Paediatrics in March.

Lord Warner: The Food Standards Agency has noted the results of the study published in the Journal of American Academy of Paediatrics on the effects of decreasing sugar-sweetened drinks on body weight in adolescents.
	The available evidence on the relationship between sugar and body weight is not clear. More evidence of whether sugar is associated with body weight and obesity is required before definitive conclusions can be drawn.

Children: Health

Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What is the average volume of soft drinks consumed each day by children in England and Wales; and whether they will assess the implications for childhood obesity of the calorific content of such drinks; and
	Whether they will review possible action to reduce calorie levels in soft drinks through the wider use of calorie-free sweeteners as part of their strategy to halt the rise in childhood obesity.

Lord Warner: The most recent information available on consumption of soft drinks by children dates back to the 1997 national diet and nutrition survey of young people aged four to 18 years. This survey showed that average consumption of soft drinks by the four-to-18-year age group in Britain in 1997 was 441g/day. Just over half of this (264g/day) comprised standard (that is, other than low-calorie) varieties.
	The causes of obesity are multifactorial. The Government have no current plans to assess the specific implications on childhood obesity of consumption of high-sugar soft drinks. Nor do they intend to promote the use of calorie-free sweeteners in soft drinks as part of their strategy to halt the rise in childhood obesity. The Food Standards Agency has commenced discussions with stakeholders on a strategy to address the calorie levels in foods to improve energy balance; the levels of sugar in some foods, including soft drinks, is being explored as part of this strategy.

Children: Parental Drug and Alcohol Use

Lord Adebowale: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	How many incidences of child abuse in the United Kingdom each year are linked to alcohol misuse.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Home Office does not collect information on the number of incidences of child abuse that are linked to alcohol.

Disarmament

Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What are the issues on which a consensus agreement has not been reached thus holding up progress on United Nations disarmament agreements in Geneva; and which countries have blocked agreements to each of the issues.

Lord Triesman: The Conference on Disarmament (CD) in Geneva has been unable to reach consensus on a programme of work for more than eight years. During that time the only issue which all countries have agreed should be taken forward is a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT). The Government have called continuously for the immediate commencement of negotiations on an FMCT. Unfortunately, many other countries have sought to link progress on an FMCT to progress on a range of other disarmament-related issues. This has led to the stalemate that we see today in the CD. As my honourable friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Kim Howells, said during his recent address to the CD in March this year, the package approach to starting substantive work in the CD has not delivered a consensus agreement on the way forward. But the CD is too important a mechanism to allow to remain inactive. It is therefore time to take a more pragmatic approach and start negotiating an FMCT.

EU: Relations with NATO

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What plans they have to discuss with the member states of the European Union the state of relations between NATO and the European Union.

Lord Triesman: The UK regularly discusses EU-NATO relations with other EU member states, both in EU meetings and bilaterally. Foreign Ministers of EU and NATO countries hold regular informal meetings, most recently on 27 and 28 April in Sofia. Under the Berlin plus arrangements, EU and NATO meetings also take place between the Political and Security Committee and the North Atlantic Council. At the technical level, the EU-NATO Capability Group provides a forum for the exchange of information on military research and procurement. The UK was one of the key advocates for the development of the permanent liaison arrangements to ensure transparency between the EU and NATO which were agreed in December 2005. The UK continues to press for a strong EU-NATO relationship to ensure the organisations are mutually reinforcing and prevent unnecessary duplication. There has also been effective practical co-operation between the organisations, for example, in Darfur where the EU and NATO provide complementary support to the African Union, and following Hurricane Katrina where NATO transported EU aid.

Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	When they will bring into force the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 was brought into force on 3 March 2004.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether morale among senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office personnel has been adversely affected by recent reductions in budgets and posts, both abroad and at home.

Lord Triesman: While we have closed some posts, this is in response to changing priorities, not overall budget reductions: the total Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) departmental expenditure limit was increased in the 2004 spending review by £91 million in 2006-07 and £110 million in 2007–08. There is no evidence overall of a decline in morale occasioned by post closures, although some staff directly affected have expressed concerns. As measured by the staff survey published on 4 April 2006, which included senior staff, morale appears to be high: 77 per cent of FCO staff at home and abroad are proud to work for the FCO, 83 per cent feel they are doing something worth while and 91 per cent are prepared to put in extra effort when required. These figures compare well both to previous years and to other government departments. But the results also showed some areas we need to address, including recognition and reward of that commitment, leadership and how we manage and communicate change. We are taking action to tackle those issues. The results of the survey are available on the internet at the following address: www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/news/staff–survey/index.asp and will be made available to honourable Members in the Library of the House.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Staff

Lord Goodlad: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What they are doing in relation to the position of former Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff who retire elsewhere in the European Union and are refused the E106 form for healthcare on the basis of insufficient class 1 national insurance contributions in the past two years of service where those two years were spent overseas.

Lord Triesman: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advises its staff prior to overseas postings, and at the end of the 52 weeks in non-reciprocal countries, that paying less than class 1 national insurance (NI) contributions can affect their healthcare cover. Guidance is also available on the internal FCO website for staff.
	Policy on NI contributions rests with H M Revenue and Customs.

Housing: Rural Areas

Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they are proposing to remove, from 1 April 2006, the upper limit of 80 per cent of market value which can be purchased by the occupiers of rural shared-ownership houses; if so, why; and whether they have made an assessment of the potential impact on the future supply of affordable housing.

Baroness Andrews: I refer the noble Lord to the Answers given to the noble Baroness, Lady Miller of Chilthorne Domer, on 18 April 2006, (Official Report, col. WA 180).

Iran: Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether following United Nations Security Council (UNSC) pressure on Iran to ensure compliance with the International Atomic Agency's procedures and Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) obligations, they will make representations to the UNSC to seek full participation by Israel in the NPT in regard to its nuclear arsenal which remains outside international supervision.

Lord Triesman: UN Security Council (UNSC) action on Iran is aimed at ensuring Iranian compliance with the legal obligations it undertook when it became a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). We do not have any plans to make representations to the UNSC about Israel's participation in the NPT as we believe this can be best pursued though bilateral contacts.

Iraq: Police Training

Lord Garden: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether any changes to training policy for Iraqi police have resulted from the study made by Sir Ronnie Flanagan.

Lord Drayson: Sir Ronnie Flanagan's report on the UK's policing programme in Iraq makes a number of recommendations designed to improve the operational and strategic delivery of our policing-related security sector reform. A number of changes to our training policy have already been implemented. These include, but are not limited to the introduction of standard operating practices, increased emphasis on joint Iraqi police and Iraq army operations and improved co-ordination of civil and military security sector reform assets.

Millennium Development Goals

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will raise in the United Nations the prospects of achieving the millennium development goals within the time perspectives agreed after the high-level panel discussions.

Lord Triesman: The Government raise, and will continue to raise, progress on the millennium development goals (MDGs), at all appropriate UN fora. The millennium review summit in September 2005 reviewed progress towards the MDGs and heads of government identified a number of areas where deeper and faster progress needed to be made including more and better aid, trade and debt write off.
	The Secretary-General's panel on system-wide coherence is a vehicle for getting the UN operations into shape so that it can maximise its potential to help governments of developing countries to accelerate progress towards delivering the MDGs. The UK will continue to play a full part in international discussions on the MDGs and the action needed to realise them.

Olympic Games 2012: Lottery Funding

Lord Rana: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they will take to ensure the direction of lottery funding to the 2012 Olympic Games will not impact adversely on other charitable causes.

Lord Davies of Oldham: Our current estimates are that the dedicated Olympic lottery games being rolled out to help fund the 2012 Olympic Games may lead to diversion of around 5 per cent of the income the other good causes might otherwise have received. In addition, up to £410 million may be redirected from non-Olympic lottery proceeds after January 2009. This is quite a small reduction in the context of estimated lottery income totalling around £6 billion for the years 2009–12.
	The new lottery games have already proven popular and I understand Camelot has made a very good start towards the target of £750 million. Its main aim is grow the National Lottery overall and to raise money for all its good causes, including the charitable sector.

Olympic Games 2012: Northern Ireland

Lord Rana: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What steps they will take to co-ordinate Northern Ireland engagement in the planning of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Lord Davies of Oldham: The Nations and Region Group (NRG) was established to ensure that the whole of the UK is engaged with and benefits from the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Northern Ireland is represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games are working closely with the Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure, Northern Ireland to support Northern Ireland in maximising the social, economic, health and environmental benefits of the games.
	David Hanson, Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, launched a strategic plan, aimed at maximising these benefits, and announced the formation of the Olympic Northern Ireland Taskforce (ONITF) on 2 March 2006.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Office for Standards in Education has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Lord Adonis: This is a matter for Ofsted. H M Chief Inspector of Schools, Maurice Smith, has written to the noble Lord and a copy of his reply has been placed in the Library.
	Letter to Lord Lester of Herne Hill from the Chief Inspector of Schools, dated May 2006.
	Your recent Parliamentary Question has been referred to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Schools, for reply.
	You asked on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Office for Standards in Education has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
	In response, I am not aware of any occasion since 1997 in the Office for Standards in Education when the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman were not fully accepted and implemented.
	A copy of this reply has been sent to the Lord Adonis and will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Charity Commission has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: I understand that since January 1997 the Parliamentary Ombudsman has investigated 16 cases of complaint against the Charity Commission. In six of those cases the ombudsman made recommendations addressed to the commission. In each of these cases the commission has given effect to the ombudsman's recommendations.

Passports

Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In what circumstances people born or resident in the Irish Republic may obtain a British passport; and
	In view of the concept of parity of esteem and equality outlined in the 1998 Belfast agreement, whether they intend to make arrangements to provide British passports on demand to residents of the Irish Republic.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: British passports are available to those who hold British nationality, which is a matter of law defined principally by the terms of the British Nationality Act 1981. This is not affected by the 1998 Belfast agreement.
	Citizens of the Republic of Ireland who were, immediately before 1 January 1949, both citizens of Eire and British subjects may claim to remain British subjects, and therefore retain eligibility for British passports describing them as British subjects, on one or both the following grounds:
	having been in Crown service under the government in the United Kingdom;
	having associations with the United Kingdom or an overseas territory by way of descent, residence or otherwise.
	In certain circumstances, British subjects who were born before 1 January 1949 in the part of Ireland which now forms the Republic of Ireland but did not become Irish citizens would have become British citizens under the 1981 Act.
	From 1 January 1949 onwards, British nationality has not been acquired by birth in the Republic of Ireland. Residents of the Republic of Ireland who are eligible for British passport facilities should apply to the British embassy.

Passports: Interviews

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they have identified suitable premises for the 69 new passport interview offices; and
	How much they estimate each of the 69 new passport interview offices will cost in terms of (a) staff; (b) premises; and (c) equipment.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: A document has been placed in the Library setting out the planned locations for the 69 new interview offices.
	A contract for the provision of premises and facilities management services was awarded to Mapeley AbI Provider Ltd on 7 March 2006. Premises have not yet been identified for all locations but the contract requires all premises to be made available by the end of 2006. No estimate of costs for individual sites has been made. The cost of the premises and facilities management contract will be £55 million over three years. This and other costs for the first year of operation have been included in the estimated passport unit cost of £58.32 (including all internal costs and external—for example, FCO premium) for 2006–07 published on 21 April in the IPS corporate and business plan.

Police: Reorganisation

Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What work has been undertaken and assessment made by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister regarding the level of police precept with regard to council tax in those areas subject to proposals for police force restructuring.

Baroness Andrews: In line with the Government's new burdens doctrine the Government are committed to ensuring that the costs of proposals for police force restructuring are fully funded and therefore there should not be a pressure on council tax.
	Discussions are continuing about assessments of costs and the alignment of precepts raised by police authorities which may be merging.

Prisoners: Passports

Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Who holds the passports of people given custodial sentences while they are in prison; and whether the Passport Agency is advised of such people.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: Should a prisoner arrive at prison reception with a passport for any country it will be placed in store until his/her release. There is no requirement for prisons to advise the Passport Agency, which has responsibility only for UK nationals.

Smoking

Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What proportion of the allegedly toxic substances generated by tobacco smoking remains in the atmosphere in an enclosed space of a given cubic capacity after (a) 10 minutes; (b) one hour; (c) two hours; (d) six hours; and (e) 12 hours, assuming (i) no ventilation; (ii) natural ventilation; and (iii) the most technically advanced mechanical ventilation currently available.

Lord Warner: Information is not available in the form requested.
	Second-hand smoke can continue to persist and present a risk to health in enclosed places even when smoking has ceased taking place.
	The issue of the persistence of second-hand smoke in enclosed spaces is addressed in academic literature. The following articles make specific reference to mathematical modelling of pollutant concentrations from indoor smoking:
	Kotzias, D, Geiss, O, Leva, P, Bellintani, A, Arvanitis, A, Kephalopoulos, S (2003). Ventilation as a means of controlling exposure of workers to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS). Commission of the European Union, Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Ispra (Va), Italy.
	Allwright, S (2003). Report on the Health Effects of Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) in the Workplace. Health and Safety Authority, Dublin, Ireland.
	Copies of these references are available in the Library.

Terrorism: Proscribed Organisations

Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	Whether they will proscribe the Al-Ahwaz Liberation Front on the ground that it is a terrorist organisation.

Lord Bassam of Brighton: The list of organisations proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000 is kept under constant review. We do not comment on the suitability of particular organisations for proscription.

Trade: ACP Countries

Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	In view of the progress of the World Trade Organisation's international trade liberalisation measures, when they next plan to raise in the European Union Council of Ministers relations between the European Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group.

Lord Triesman: The UK remains committed to an ambitious, broad-based and pro-development outcome to the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) round of trade negotiations. It is unfortunate that WTO members were unable to meet the end of April deadline for agreeing cuts in tariffs for industrial goods and agricultural products. But we will continue to push for a deal that can be finalised this year and which takes into account the needs of the poorest countries.
	We understand the concerns from African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries about possible negative short-term impacts of trade liberalisation. However, these are outweighed by the potential benefits on offer from the trade round and from which we all stand to gain. As set out in the Government's 2004 White Paper on trade and investment, the international response needs to acknowledge and tackle the short-term transition costs and look at how we can provide guaranteed, credible and additional aid to support these countries in the transition to more productive sectors.
	We continue to argue for an effective response to the concerns of the ACP, including the provision of aid for trade and other transitional assistance for developing countries, and for economic partnership agreements with the EU to have a pro-development focus.
	Specifically regarding the impact of EU sugar reform, my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development, Gareth Thomas, raised the issue with other EU Development Ministers at the 10 and 11 April General Affairs and External Relations Council. We will continue to lobby the Commission and our EU partners on this specific issue and on wider ACP concerns about the impact of trade liberalisation.

Women and Equality Unit

Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What links have been established by the women's equality unit with the ethnic minority communities.

Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Women and Equality Unit maintains a continuous and open dialogue with ethnic minority communities in close collaboration with the officials from the Home Office.
	In particular, ministerial colleagues from the DTI and Home Office wrote on 18 March to a cross-section of black and minority ethnic community representatives, inviting them to join a new race equality group. This group will advise on both the work on the Discrimination Law Review and the transitional arrangements and priorities for race equality and race relations, within the context of the establishment of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR).
	It is hoped that the first meeting of this group will take place in May. Both Ministers and officials will participate in the work of this group.